Legislation to Relocate Board of Equalization Headquarters Desperately Needed

California State Board of Equalization (BOE) Chairman Jerome E. Horton and Member George Runner welcomed Assemblymember Roger Dickinson to the BOE’s troubled headquarters building recently. They showed him firsthand why Board Members voted unanimously to support his legislation to relocate staff from its 450 N Street headquarters building plagued by falling window panes, failing waste-water pipes, and mold. Dickinson’s Assembly Bill 1656 would provide the needed authorization to relocate and consolidate Sacramento staff to one campus. Members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee will decide whether to pass the bill on for a full floor vote on Friday. “The State of California has wasted years and millions of dollars throwing good money after bad. It’s time for a solution that protects our employees and taxpayers,” said BOE Board Member George Runner. “Assemblymember Dickinson’s legislation is the bipartisan solution the Legislature and Governor need to solve this long-festering problem once and for all.” The BOE has already spent roughly $60 million of the taxpayers’ money for building repairs and remediation. Total costs related to repairs and relocation during construction are estimated to be between $106 and $115 million, which does not include lost employee productivity. “After years of repairs, costing the state $60 million to date and forcing our employees to work in an unstable environment, I am pleased that this fiscally and morally responsible legislation is moving forward. I fully support Assembly Bill 1656 which authorizes the Department of General Services to secure an alternate site that will consolidate and relocate the BOE Headquarters operations into one central location.” “BOE employees deserve the peace of mind knowing the building they work in is safe and our state’s taxpayers should not have to continue paying to repair a bad building,” said Board Vice Chair Michelle Steel. “BOE employees should not have to endure bursting pipes, air-quality concerns and falling windows while they work for the taxpayers of California,” said Board Member Betty T. Yee. The building on N Street only has enough working space for 2,200 employees. The other 750 Sacramento-based BOE employees work in satellite offices located throughout the Greater Sacramento area.